Pre-Service Educator Eclipse Competition: Create a Unit of Study on Total Solar Eclipses!

Pre-service educators are on front lines of educating and exciting future generations of students about STEM. It is therefore imperative that pre-service educators are given the opportunities and experiences which broaden their horizons while impacting STEM education. Montana Space Grant Consortium is excited to announce the Pre-Service Educator Eclipse Competition (PSEEC), an opportunity for pre-service educators to begin leaving their mark within the STEM educational community while gaining valuable skills and experiences along the way.

Please feel free to print the above flyer for recruiting purposes.

This competition offers pre-service educators from around the country the opportunity to create new units of study and lesson plans that could be accredited by NASA Education and made available to educators everywhere. Ten semifinalists will be selected and flown to beautiful Bozeman, Montana to give presentations demonstrating their units' excellence and finally, four finalists will be selected and awarded a trip to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for three days of aerospace fun!

In order to bolster excitement and understanding of the 2017 total solar eclipse which will be seen across the Continental US, the competition will be centered around total solar eclipses and the Earth-Moon-Sun relationships. This is a chance to explore the world around you and create something new and exciting to share with educators everywhere! Check out the About the Competition page to find out all the specific details.

Who?

“Pre-service educators” must be undergraduate students who are currently enrolled at four or two year US institutions and working towards completing their Teaching Education Requirements as pre-service educators or students attending two year teacher preparation programs.

Students at community colleges are encouraged to participate.

Should you want to collaborate with another student, teams of two can be supported with some stipulations.*

What?

Develop an approximate 3-5 day unit of study with activities on total solar eclipses and the Earth-Sun-Moon relationship for seventh and/or ninth grade physical and/or earth science classes.

Why?

Boost your resume! Set yourself apart from your peers.

Up to 10 semifinalists* will be selected to fly to Big Sky Country to present their unit of study and explore some of the surrounding area!

Four finalists and their mentors (one per finalist) or teammate (team of two participants)* will win a trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center! If you enjoy learning about aerospace/space science, this is THE place to go!

Get your name out there - your work could be accredited by NASA and shared with educators everywhere!

When?

Develop your unit: January 2016 – March 2016

Semifinalists* will be selected in April and will be flown to Bozeman, MT in June to present a finalized version of their curriculum to a panel of judges at Montana State University.

Four finalists* will be selected following the semi-finalist presentations and awarded a trip in July to Orlando, Florida to explore NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for three days with two Montana Space Grant affiliates.

If you are interested in participating, please contact us to get on the mailing list to be informed of any news, updates, etc. that come up.

* Should a team of two be selected as 'semifinalists,' that team will have to select one representative to present in Bozeman, MT. Should a team of two be selected as 'finalists,' both participants are welcome to travel to KSC in place of a mentor/advisor.